Apple’s newest mid-size iPhone software program replace, iOS 18.4, brings dozens of enhancements. However as is usually the case when an working system modifications in a big means, it brings issues too. Together with a newly reported and annoying-sounding bug that reinstalls customers’ deleted apps.
In a thread posted Tuesday on the Apple Group dialogue web site (by way of 9to5Mac), a consumer complains about an undesirable app reappearing inexplicably on their telephone. There appears to be no doable trigger for this aside from the iOS 18.4 replace.
“After upgrading to iOS 18.4, my iPhone randomly put in Final Conflict: Survival,” the consumer writes. (This seems to be a type of doubtful free video games closely marketed on-line.) “This app was beforehand put in on my iPhone a number of months in the past however uninstalled after a number of hours. Now it appeared again on my Residence Display screen.”
On condition that the writer of the thread makes use of the alias “Someandroiduser” one may suspect the veracity of this account, regardless of their reassurances that the iPhone in query was by no means jailbroken, had by no means run any different app shops, and didn’t have automated app installs or syncs enabled. However for corroboration they put up hyperlinks to 4 separate Reddit threads during which different customers complain of the identical concern. I haven’t observed the issue myself, however it might be folly to dismiss this as a false alarm.
The truth is, most of the Reddit posters trace at a worse downside than the already annoying concern of reinstalling deleted apps. A number of, together with a respondent to Someandroiduser’s Apple Group put up (“I had NBA 2k25 randomly obtain, and but I’m sure that I’ve by no means put in the app beforehand”), complain that apps they’d by no means put in have been added to their gadgets. That has the potential to trigger way more bother, since you wouldn’t have had the possibility to vet such apps earlier than they appeared. One would hope there wouldn’t be many out-and-out rip-off apps on Apple’s retailer, however they do crop up every so often. And easily having your youngster’s iPhone set up one thing with aggressive promoting or in-app purchases might result in different issues down the road.
To present an impression of the dimensions of the issue, I’ve cherry-picked a number of feedback from throughout the threads:
“Similar right here. Totally different sport although. I didn’t acknowledge the sport.”
“Similar–not one however three!”
“After I up to date, the sport Infinite Lagrange was reinstalled despite the fact that I had uninstalled it.”
“I left the telephone updating then once I got here again I had 5 apps randomly put in, and the telephone was oddly sizzling.”
“I do know for a reality I’ve by no means downloaded it earlier than as a result of I at all times hated the faux advertisements from that sport.”
“By no means even heard of the sport earlier than, simply appeared after updating to 18.4. It’s not even in my record of downloaded apps.”
“My telephone robotically began putting in Squid Recreation.”
“My (iPhone) began putting in PUBG Mbile once I keep in mind that’s the final app I searched earlier than 18.4 set up I consider.”
“Okay so after updating to iOS 18.4 efficiently, I went to the App Retailer to replace apps. And to my shock this Chinese language sport put in itself robotically. How is it doable?”
“I obtained Warzone lol. Put in itself robotically.”
This isn’t the primary bug to hit iOS 18.4, which had beforehand been implicated in customers’ AirPods Max headphones not gaining lossless audio over USB-C. However it is a probably way more severe lapse, primarily as a result of it has the potential to have an effect on way more folks. (9to5Mac insists that we’re not seeing sufficient reviews “to point that it’s affecting greater than a small minority of customers,” and I suppose that’s technically true–however the 53 complaints I counted throughout these 4 Reddit threads and one Apple Group put up counsel a serious downside to me.) It might additionally do main harm to Apple’s picture: those that see apps reappearing after being deleting will probably be aggravated; those that see completely new apps popping up randomly are liable to lose their religion in Apple’s safety.
A repair must be rolled out, and shortly. Because of this we’d advise retaining a watch out for future updates and putting in them in a well timed style.
